The Wanderer with Scaly Wings
by TWwSW
Summary: When relations between humans and dragons became shaky at best, conflict quickly arose. Fights in the streets between ambassadors and dragons were almost a daily occurrence. Few accepted the human presence. When an important government figure is supposedly murdered by a human, all hell breaks loose. Within days, the dragon world is decimated by nuclear attacks.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 _War. War never changes._

 _Mere years ago, a major revelation came about. A strange, intelligent race of two-legged primates called humanity found some kind of portal to our world. I was equal parts excited and frightened about this news. It could have opened up so many doors for both of our societies, had we learned to get along._ _It started with an ambassador program. They sent a few of their own kind over to investigate this new world and see what it was about. Our two kinds were stable at first, but things quickly took a turn for the worse._

 _Before we knew it, a top government official was slain by a human assassin. Conspiracies ran rampant and conflict quickly arose, and sooner than hoped, it escalated beyond that._ _I don't recall much about what happened after that. All I remember is the bombs dropping. Great clouds of fire and ash rose from the sky, like trees of death and destruction. Desperate to save my own soul, I took refuge with others in a storm shelter a block away from my home. We haven't left the shelter for three years, and supply is running thin. The word is that there's a month's worth of food and water to split between the ten of us. Sooner or later, we're all going to have to succumb to our hunger or leave to look for a solution._

 _I'm not sure what happened to the rest of our society, whether humans run rampant in our streets or if the portal was destroyed altogether. One thing_ _is f_ _or certain though.  
War never changes._


	2. Chapter 1

The PA speakers crackled. A brief, high-pitched tone played over the system to signal the start of the day, followed by the raspy baritone voice of Farmann, the self-elected head of the shelter.

"Good morning, everybody. Today marks day 1,225 since our entry into the shelter. Please remember that there is a scheduled shelter meeting today in the lobby at 9:30 AM that _everyone_ is expected to attend. Don't be late, as there are important matters to discuss. Breakfast today will be served by Ferguson. On the menu is corned beef, pancakes, and wheat cereal. Preserved chicken eggs are also available for purchase at the price of an additional 3 florins. Have a great rest of your day."

And with that, it was silent. I arose from my mattress, my arms, legs, and tail all aching from last night's hard work. Keeping that in mind, I made haste to get myself ready for the day. My morning routine was a rather simple one; wash up, take in my surroundings, and eat breakfast. I kept bumping into things, not yet fully awake. Navigating the small living chambers within the shelter was enough of a chore to deal with. Sometimes I felt lucky to not have wings.

I wet a small washcloth in the sink, staring at myself in the mirror and wiping the sleep from my eyes. I splashed some of the water in my face in an attempt to make myself more alert. After that, I headed off for the canteen and had a mediocre breakfast. Half the time it usually wasn't even worth it. Lunch and dinner always had better menu options that were more than satisfying.

Before getting up to put my wares in the dishwasher, I checked the clock. It read 9:23 AM, meaning the important meeting that Farmann had been hyping us all up about for the past month or so was in seven minutes. I figured I'd best start getting ready, though there was really no point in dressing formally for such an occasion. Formality was a concept of the old world that didn't affect us anymore. We rarely had any formal events anyway.

I made my way to the lobby. Upon my arrival I noticed the couches, chairs, and tables were all set up in an orderly fashion, which wasn't the norm. Most meetings were pretty much just thrown together at the last minute or called in an emergency. If Farmann took the time to set something up, then it had to be big.

I was the last to arrive, so I quickly planted myself on the ground. There were other options, such as sofas and fancy armchairs, but I didn't fancy them. They were uncomfortable, old, dusty, and most of them lacked space for one's tail. By the time I had taken my seat, Farmann had already taken to the microphone. He cleared his throat, sat down in front of us all, and fixed his glasses.

"Thank you all for coming to this meeting that I've been bothering you all about. Believe me when I say I have good reason, which I will explain shortly. First thing's first, this week's job assignments; Faith and Esther, you two are on janitorial duty. Ferguson, I am assigning you the special position as this week's shelter sheriff. You've earned our trust. Remington, you will replace Fergie's kitchen position. Summer, you will take the role of secretary. Geneva, you get maintenance. Everyone else has the week off, with the exception of one of you."

I was anxious to see who Farmann would choose. It wasn't very often that he had a 'special job' for the week. Whoever he chose, I hoped it wouldn't be me. Last week, I had to work maintenance, which involved keeping everything technological in check, including machinery and plumbing. It was the worst assignment in the shelter by far.

"Freya. Come see me in the suite after the meeting. I have a very important assignment for you to take on. I know you worked hard on maintenance last week, but trust me when I say it's something crucial. Anyhow, now that assignments are out of the way, I suppose I should explain to you all what I've been pestering you about. After crunching the numbers on our past four weekly inventory checks, I am regretful to say that the rumors are true. We are running low on supply."  
Most in the room let out a gasp. Low supply was bad news, as there was only one method to get more supplies, and nobody was willing to take up such a responsibility.

"In fact, we have about 28 days worth of clean water, 25 days worth of food, and enough fuel to ration our electricity for the next month and a half. This means that I need everyone to take up a responsibility of their own until we find a solution. Try to ration what we have. Don't take showers for too long, only eat when you need to, and turn off appliances and lights that you aren't using. How long the shortage will last is unknown at this time, but we are actively looking for ways to resolve it. I suppose that's all the detail you need, and with that, the meeting is dismissed."

Mumbling began within the small crowd. The other dragons started discussing the situation amongst themselves. Some were fairly casual, a couple were counting their days, and I was almost certain I overheard Faith and Esther planning something ballsy. Around the same time, Ferguson was given many dirty looks. I almost felt bad for the guy, knowing that he'd have to make sure the others weren't overusing or hoarding supplies for themselves.

I wanted to join in on the conversation but was reminded of my expected presence by a rather condescending stare and claw gesture by Farmann. I proceeded to follow him into the suite room. From the exterior, it looked like a regular dwelling. Stepping inside, I saw what not many had seen. The interior of Farmann's suite was beautiful. Everything was in near pristine condition. If one were to suddenly find themselves in it, they'd most likely have mistaken it for a regular bedroom or office.

"Take a seat, Freya. We have some matters to discuss." Farmann said in a very serious tone.

"Like what?" I inquired.

"You and I both know that you are a very brave and strong girl. You work hard at a job whenever you are assigned one, and you even offer help to others who are  
struggling."

"Thank you, Farmann. I'm flattered."

"Yes, I suppose you should be, but I'm not here to give you a gold star. You see, because of your determined attitude, I have specifically chosen you to take up the largest responsibility I've ever given out to anyone in this shelter."  
I was both excited and nervous. I had no clue what Farmann was about to ask of me, but I was ready either way.

"I've selected you to be the first dragon to travel to the surface." He looked at me with a smile on his face.

"The surface?! Farmann, you're joking right? Nobody's been up there in three and a half years."

"It's our only hope for fresh resources. If we run out, we'll all starve to death or worse. I'm putting a lot in your claws because I trust you more than anybody."  
Farmann wasn't kidding around. He actually wanted me to head to the surface. He was practically putting the entire shelter in my claws.

"Of course, I'll supply you with the necessary equipment. I've already put together a backpack with some basic medical supplies, some bottled water, and a few energy bars. Ferguson is the only other one in on this, and I've ordered him to supply you with a weapon and some basic protection. Any further questions you may have will be answered upon your exit. Now go see Fergie for your armament."

I took the backpack from Farmann and soon after it was made clear that I best leave the room. I turned the knob on the door and opened it. Smelling the metallic musk of the cold shelter walls had never felt worse in my life.


End file.
